Breaking: EFCC Arrests Convicted Ex-Power Minister Saleh Mamman After Weeks On The Run

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested the former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, who had been declared a fugitive following his conviction and sentencing to 75 years’ imprisonment over financial crimes.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, confirmed that Mamman was picked up in the early hours of Tuesday at about 3am in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State after weeks of evading arrest.

According to the commission, operatives tracked the former minister to a private residence where he was apprehended without resistance. He had reportedly been on the run since the court delivered its final judgment in his absence.

Mamman, who served as Minister of Power between 2019 and 2021 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was recently convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja on multiple counts of money laundering and corruption-related offences.

The court handed down a cumulative sentence of 75 years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of diverting public funds meant for critical power infrastructure projects. The judgment was delivered in absentia after the court noted that the former minister failed to appear for proceedings leading up to sentencing.

Following the conviction, the EFCC declared him wanted and intensified efforts to locate and arrest him for enforcement of the court’s order.

His arrest in Kaduna marks the latest development in one of the most closely followed anti-corruption cases involving a former cabinet official in recent years. The EFCC has maintained that no individual, regardless of former office or political influence, will be allowed to evade justice.

The commission is expected to take further steps regarding his transfer to correctional custody to commence the serving of his sentence, while additional details surrounding his arrest are yet to be released.